When the individual and the collective were placed on opposite sides of The Scales at the same time, the choice between sacrifice and salvation had long since been decided by others.
—Volume Four: Alone and Among the Many
The long night held no moon, only a few stars hanging high overhead and a cluster of ghostly green flames floating before him.
Mist shrouded the mountain forest, grayish-white smoke writhing through the tangled branches and blurring the Ghost Shadows farther away.
Lin Chen opened his eyes and saw a mirror, gleaming silver in the thick darkness and reflecting his image.
He wore a gray robe with his long hair tied behind his head by a cloth band. A lantern hung from his right hand, while his left carried a wooden medicine chest. He looked every bit like an ancient physician.
The mirror flashed and vanished like an illusion.
With the lantern pole between his teeth, Lin Chen reached out and opened the medicine chest. On top of a pile of unidentifiable herbs lay a letter that had already been opened, then folded back up.
He drew the letter from the envelope with two fingers, flicked it open, and smoothed it flat. By the lantern's light, he made out the inked words:
[For Doctor Lin's Personal Attention...]
The letter was written in classical Chinese. In essence, it asked "Doctor Lin" to travel to a place called "Poplar Blossom Town" to treat the elderly matriarch of a wealthy Meng family.
A map was attached to the letter. It said that Poplar Blossom Town was tucked away deep within the mountains and ancient forests, and the route was difficult to find. It earnestly urged "Doctor Lin" to take care not to lose his way. If he entered the mountain spirits' bewildering mists, there would